


Melancholy

by pockychan7



Category: Hatoful Kareshi | Hatoful Boyfriend
Genre: Class Differences, Forbidden Love, Loss, M/M, Male Slash, Memory Loss, Tsundere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-31 08:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3970384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pockychan7/pseuds/pockychan7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place during and after the BBL Plot Epilogue, so I cannot really make a summary without revealing major spoilers, but it involves a Tsundere Sakuya and Ryouta and they fall in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Losing Hope

**Author's Note:**

> MAJOR SPOILER WARNING!!!! Don't read unless you've finished the BBL Plot!

It had been almost two years since that traumatic incident that shook the student body of St.PigeoNation’s. All the things Sakuya saw, all the things he heard that day, haunted him daily. The beheaded Hiyoko in a blood-soaked cardboard box, her lifeless eyes staring up at him. Ryouta turning a ghostly white as he looked in horror at her corpse. Sakuya’s brother, lying on the floor of the infirmary, blood pouring from his wound onto the cold, linoleum floor, staining his feather a bright, menacing red. His usual confident tone turning cold and shaky as he made his dark confessions. How Sakuya’s sense of reality crumbled before him within minutes as Yuuya spoke. Seeing Ryouta looking back at him, a mixture of fear, hope and sorrow on his face as Sakuya left him behind in the medical center, wondering when he will see him alive again. The memory of that day revisited him every night as Sakuya lay in bed, sleepless in his dorm room. Although he had his lavish mansion he could return to every night, Sakuya decided to live on St. PigeoNation’s campus. He could not stomach the sight of his stepfather, after having come to the realization that he was a horrible excuse for a noblebird. Noble by blood, yes, but noble in character? Certainly not! His stepfather did not approve of him moving to the dorms, living like a lowly commoner with such an undignified mongrel roommate, but Sakuya would not change his mind, and so he gave up trying to convince him to stay at the mansion during the school year. Sakuya made the excuse that living in the dorms was more convenient due to a closer proximity to his classes, but in reality Sakuya just wanted to avoid his stepfather. Sakuya never told anyone that he was not his real son or that his stepfather murdered his real father, for fear he might abandon him, or worse. He did have the tendency to get very violent, frequently beating his wife and even Sakuya at times. Imagine what he might do to him if Sakuya told someone. And would they even believe him? There is no death penalty, and the justice and prison system in general is very flawed. Prison sentences are a joke. He’d be released in no time and might come for Sakuya. These fears kept Sakuya silent. 

Sakuya stared at the sleeping Okosan in the bed next to him, cooing in his sleep, going on about something to do with pudding, no doubt. He was envious of Okosan. Okosan, despite being with Sakuya and the other students at St. PigeoNation’s the day Hiyoko died, left the situation only slightly scarred compared to Sakuya. He could sleep peacefully every night, believing that Hiyoko had merely transferred to a different school. Sakuya thought it unneccesarily cruel and pointless trying to convince Okosan otherwise. Ignorance is bliss, right?

It was a hot night in early May. Even with a fan in the room, Sakuya was sweating, which made him even more restless. He was 18 now, a senior, and would be graduating from St. PigeoNation’s soon. Sakuya told his stepfather he had been accepted at a prestigious university in Germany, where he would be studying Political Science. In reality, however, he was already planning to attempt to transfer to an American school after the first semester, also very prestigious, where he would study music. Never would he have dreamed he would actually follow his passion to this extent, had it not been for Hiyoko’s encouragement. Oh, how he missed that human. He and Hiyoko would sneak into the music classroom many an afternoon, and Hiyoko would listen to him play on the piano. It was nice to know someone appreciated and supported his love of music. Sakuya even gave Hiyoko a few piano lessons. She had a knack for playing the piano. It’s a shame she couldn’t see her potential as a musician. She kept saying how she wished she was as talented as Sakuya.

Sakuya was looking forward to going to college. Being at this school made him depressed. First of all, it reminded him of Hiyoko and Ryouta. Secondly, although all traces of the Hawk Party and their ideals had been purged from the school, (aside from the medical center, which no one used. Doctor Iwamine stepped down from his position as the school doctor and now spends his time doing research in his own home laboratory), Sakuya still did not like how the school was being run. The new management there was rather incompetent, but them being Japanese, he was not surprised (no offense to the Japanese, just trying to stay in character). The general area around the school had also become very tense since the humans got riled up during the dome incident. There was clear hatred between the humans and birds in this town, though it has been for the most part peaceful. Maybe the place where Sakuya will go to college will have a friendlier environment. Eventually, Sakuya drifted off to sleep. 

Sakuya woke up to the feeling of someone stabbing him in the belly. He opened his eyes. Okosan was pecking at him. 

“Ahhh! Okosan, what the hell are you doing? Get off of me!” Sakuya yelled as he shoved Okosan away from him.  
“Coooo! Cooooo! (You overslept! You said you had class at 8, right?)” Okosan said.  
“What?” Sakuya exclaimed. He looked at his phone. It was 10 past 8. He gasped. “Oh shit!”

Sakuya leapt out of bed and threw on his clothes. Okosan sat on his bed and began drawing a picture of pudding. He did not have class until later. Sakuya rushed around frantically, grabbing his books and binders. He snatched an apple before running out the door. This is going to be so embarrassing! He thought. I swore to myself I would never, ever be late for class!   
Sakuya ran out of the dormitory building, teeth unbrushed and hair uncombed. He went inside the main school building and rushed to his classroom. His teacher looked at him, surprised by his uncharacteristically ungraceful entrance. 

“Hello, sir! I apologize for being late! I forgot to charge my phone last night so the alarm did not go off!” Sakuya said, panting.  
“Apology accepted. Though I will have to mark you tardy. Try not to make that mistake again.” Mr. Kazuaki said, making a note in his attendance book. 

Sakuya sat down at his desk. His cheeks flushed a bright red. He couldn’t come up with a better, less embarrassing excuse in that moment. Even though he knew he was no longer a true Le Bel, he didn’t want the other students to know that. They can’t see him doing something like this! A Le Bel would not be late for class! Or come to class so frumpy. The other students looked at him like they had seen a horse giving birth to a sheep. They had never seen Sakuya act so out of character, what with his unkempt hair and wrinkled clothes, looking so frazzled. Sakuya looked down at his desk for most of the class, pretending to read his textbook, too embarrassed and ashamed to look at the other students or the teacher.

Mr. Nanaki continued with his lesson. After the incident, he seemed happier, having felt a sense of closure over Nageki’s death. Now that he was no longer desperately trying to hide his identity from Shuu or looking for Nageki’s body, he could focus more time on what he enjoyed most: teaching. His lessons improved as a result. He even fell asleep less often, though that might have been more a result of his change in medication than anything else. Even Sakuya was impressed with his lessons. Kazuaki kept his fake name, however. He did not wish to bring up his painful past or Operation Hatoful to anyone who did not already know about it. Plus, the name had grown on him. 

Class ended, and Sakuya was the last to leave the classroom.   
“Shirogane?” Kazuaki called as Sakuya walked to the door.  
“Yes, sir?” Sakuya turned to his teacher.  
Kazuaki lowered his voice.  
“How’re the tests going?”  
“Not so well, I’m afraid.”  
“I’m sorry to hear that. But don’t get discouraged. Keep trying. Ryouta’s depending on you.”

Sakuya became saddened at the mention of his friend’s name. Sakuya missed Ryouta terribly. He wasn’t sure if Ryouta would ever be able to live freely after his cryogenic slumber. There is still much research to be done on Cryonics. Will he be the same as he was before? And would he be able to live normally in society without killing every human he walks past? (NOTE: In the game, it is not entirely clear (at least to me) what the state of Cryonics, preserving bodies and bringing people back to life is in this society. I tried my best to understand it and write this story in a way that is at least somewhat consistent to the actual story. There seems to be this confidence among the characters that Ryouta will live, and I believe they put Ryouta under cryogenic sleep until they found a cure for the Charon Virus. This suggesting that either cryonics works in this society by the time when the events on the day of Hiyoko’s murder occur, has a success rate or is promising. On the other hand, Shuu says that once dead, there is no gaurantee that a person’s memories or personality can be retrieved. For this story I am going with the idea that Cryonics is something that may work, but is something that needs to be researched further, hence Sakuya’s worry. Plus, it makes the story more interesting when there’s doubt about him coming back to life. Also, I found it rather strange how in the BBL Epilogue Sakuya comes to Shuu and Nanaki with the test results. Since when is Sakuya a scientist? I thought it would make more sense if Shuu was already working on a cure for the Charon Virus and Sakuya offered to be his assistant, driven not by a love of research or science but by a strong desire to save his friend.)

“I know. Don’t remind me.” Sakuya muttered.  
“I’m sorry.” Kazuaki played with his hair nervously. “Ummm, so how’s working with Doctor Iwamine?”  
“Splendid.” Sakuya grumbled, “I’m doing this for Ryouta. Dr. Iwamine is a necessary evil I have to deal with in this whole thing.”  
Kazuaki nodded. “Sometimes in life you just have to deal with people you don’t like. Or even hate.”  
“You’re certainly right about that. I am grateful to him for his help, though. He may be the only one who can fix Ryouta.”  
“That’s probably true. Well, good luck. Keep me posted.” Kazuaki said.  
“Yes, sir. Goodbye.” 

After the school day was over, Sakuya went straight back to his dorm room. He was stopped in front of the entrance by his brother, Yuuya. “Oh. Hello, Yuuya.” Sakuya said, “How are you?” Sakuya had warmed up to Yuuya quite a lot since the day he made his confession. Sakuya was no longer ashamed to talk to him in public. After all, they were brothers. Sakuya also had been more sensitive to the rude way he talked to others. He still occasionally called people peasants and mongrels out of habit, but having been humbled by discovering that he was not of noble blood, and trying to remind himself of what Yuuya said about blood, he had become more polite around others. The unimportance of rank had been a hard concept to accept, but Sakuya was starting to believe in it more and more. 

“Alright, I suppose. Quite tired. The infirmary was busy today because of the volleyball tournament. Those things are brutal!” Yuuya remarked. Sakuya laughed.  
“What’s going on with you? You haven’t talked to me much lately. Is everything ok?” Yuuya asked.  
“Uh…” Sakuya paused for a moment, afraid to open up to Yuuya about his problems.  
“Couldn’t sleep?” Yuuya asked.  
Sakuya nodded.   
“How about we talk in your room?” Yuuya suggested.  
“Ok.”

Sakuya unlocked the door and they entered his dorm room. The sun was beaming down from the window on the always tidy side of the bedroom that was Sakuya’s. Okosan’s side was a mess, as usual, and wafting from it was a cornucopia of strange, foul scents of unknown origin. Okosan was at track practice. They sat on Sakuya’s neatly made bed. Sakuya took the room spray on his side table and spritz the room with the scent of lavender.   
“Ah. Much better.” Sakuya said. Yuuya sniffed and nodded in agreement.  
“You keep saying you can’t sleep because you have a lot on your mind. What is it exactly that keeps you up at night?” Yuuya inquired.  
“That day, when we lost Hiyoko and Ryouta. I can’t stop thinking about it.” Sakuya said softly, looking down at his feet.  
Yuuya nodded. “I think about that a lot, too.” There was a pause.  
“Also,” Sakuya continued, “I did some tests with Doctor Iwamine yesterday for the Charon Virus vaccine. And they failed. Again!” His voice begin to rise, sounding more agitated. “Day after day, they fail. I don’t know how many more failed tests I can take, Yuuya!”  
Yuuya put his arm around Sakuya. “Sakuya, you are working with one of the greatest scientists there ever was. Put faith in him. Ryouta will come back just as he was before, and without the virus! Just have patience. Losing hope will get you nowhere.”  
“It’s easy for you to say. You aren’t the one who’s slaved away every day in that laboratory to be discouraged every time!” Sakuya replied  
“But it’s not like I’ve never experienced something similar. Remember when I was an awkward boy with braces and acne? And how I would continually get rejected by girls?” Yuuya asked.  
“Yeah, I remember I would tease you about that.” Sakuya quipped.  
“Hmph! Anyway, I was about to give up on women, and then the magic of puberty turned me into a swan! Now, girls are banging on my door for the chance to talk to me!” Yuuya gloated. (we will conveniently forget the fact that he actually reached sexual maturity by age 1)

Sakuya was unamused by his egocentric story. 

“So you may just be the ugly duckling of researchers. But one day, you too will turn into a metaphorical swan and master the Charon virus vaccine!” Yuuya exclaimed, his eyes twinkling.   
“Why does every conversation I have with you turn into you boasting about your heartthrob status?”  
“You’re just jealous because you can’t get a lady to bang down on your door!” Yuuya teased.

Sakuya became annoyed with Yuuya. It is true. Sakuya was jealous of Yuuya. He had always been jealous of him. Even when he believed he was of a higher class than Yuuya, he always felt inferior when it came to charm, good looks and luck with the ladies. That made Sakuya’s bashing of Yuuya as a lowly mongrel even more satisfying. 

“Why you little mongrel!” Sakuya sneered, then caught himself, “I mean, you…….agh!” He stood up and stormed off into the corner of the room, his arms folded, his back turned to Yuuya.   
“Aw come on, Sakuya! I’m sure there’s a lady out there for you. Or a guy.” Yuuya said. Sakuya was bisexual, but since his stepfather did not approve of homosexuality or bisexuality, Sakuya had a hard time coming to grips with his sexual orientation. But Yuuya knew. He had stumbled into some evidence of his bisexuality on his laptop by accident. 

Sakuya turned his head and shot a glare at Yuuya. He growled.  
“Being bi is nothing to be ashamed of Sakuya!” Yuuya said.   
“I know. It’s just...our stepfather. He always hated bisexuals. He made me ashamed to be bi. It’s still hard for me to accept who I am. On many levels.”  
“I’m sorry about that. I should’ve told you long ago about your true lineage. But what’s done is done. Can’t you forgive me?”  
“I have forgiven you. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t still bother me that I was living a lie.”   
Yuuya walked over to Sakuya and wrapped his arms around him.   
“Everything’s gonna be fine.” Yuuya said.  
“I hope you’re right.” Sakuya replied.   
“I am. I’m always right, you know that.”  
Sakuya rolled his eyes and smiled. He returned the hug.   
“You know, having a brother like you can be a nuisance sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade you for anyone else.” Sakuya admitted.   
“And neither would I.” Yuuya replied, “You wanna get some coffee? It might help get your mind off things. Plus, you’ve been in that lab too long.” He pointed to the bags under Sakuya’s eyebrows.  
“Sure. But you’re paying this time!” Sakuya declared.  
“Seriously? A rich guy like you who gets whatever he wants from his stepdad won’t pay?” Yuuya complained.  
“I just think it’s a little unfair that I’m always the one paying, that’s all!” Sakuya said.  
“Ok, ok, fine.” 

The two of them cheerfully left the dormitory to go to the nearby café.


	2. Shepbird's Pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakuya and Shuu work towards a cure for the Charon Virus, and Sakuya's lunch brings him to a flashback of his experience of his visit to the commoner Ryouta's house.

It was a late Wednesday night. Sakuya was off to assist Shuu with the vaccine test. Sakuya tiptoed through the dormitory so as not to wake Okosan. He was tired, but determined to work in the laboratory even though he had a test the next day. In fact, these days Sakuya would take just about all the free time he had and dedicate it to working in the lab. It became an obsession. If he missed working in the lab just one day, the guilt he would feel for putting his desires before Ryouta would gnaw at him all night. So he would go to Shuu’s lab every day, spending many hours helping him with his experiments. At first, Shuu treated him like a stereotypical intern, ordering him to fetch him coffee, clean test tubes, and perform other boring tasks. But eventually Shuu allowed Sakuya to contribute more and more to the actual experiments. Sakuya was constantly trying to impress Shuu, hoping that he would allow him even more control in the experiments. But, knowing Shuu and how attached he tended to be toward his research, Sakuya tried not to get too hopeful about it.

Sakuya’s chauffeur was outside waiting for him. Sakuya stepped into the limo and sat down. His chauffeur greeted him warmly.   
“Good evening, Mr. Shirogane. How are you faring?”  
“Ugh, as well as a noblebird can in a place like this!” Sakuya scoffed.  
“Perhaps this will help you feel better!” He served Sakuya a cup of tea.   
Sakuya took the cup and inhaled deeply. He sighed, enraptured by the sweet aroma of his tea, and took a sip as the driver pulled out of the school parking lot. Sakuya stared out the window as they drove, waiting for the tea to calm his nerves. 

Soon, they arrived at Shuu’s house. Sakuya got out of the car and waved goodbye to the driver. The laboratory was attached to the house and had a separate entrance. The lab door was left unlocked. Sakuya opened it and saw Shuu sitting at a table. He was examining what appeared to be some kind of organ.   
“Hello, Dr. Iwamine.” Sakuya said. He walked to the table where Shuu was sitting. Dr. Iwamine did not acknowledge his presence, completely engrossed in observing the organ. “What on Earth are you looking at?” Sakuya asked. He took a whiff of a dreadful smell, presumably coming from the object that Shuu was studying. He let out a groan of disgust and covered his nose. “Heavens! That smells horrible!”  
Shuu snapped out of his trance and turned to look at Sakuya.   
“I don’t smell anything.” he said, “then again, I do study the hearts of little creatures often, so I guess I don’t notice the smell anymore.”  
Sakuya felt a little queasy. “Ugh! What kind of animal does that belong to?” he asked, pointing to the putrid organ.  
“A snail.” Shuu replied proudly.Sakuya grimaced as he put on his apron and goggles. Shuu placed the snail heart in a jar and sealed it tightly. He stored the heart in his freezer full of organs from who knows what. He then proceeded to change his latex gloves for his next experiment. 

Shuu and Sakuya spent the next few hours working on the vaccine. Shuu talked to Sakuya in his usual scientist jargon about the science behind what they were doing. Sakuya found it hard to understand. Finally, it was time to test the vaccine. Shuu had originally tried to get bird volunteers to test it, but couldn’t find anyone who actually wanted to get a vaccine from Shuu. He then decided to test the vaccine on other creatures with slightly compromised immune systems, and thankfully these creatures did not develop any significant side effects from the Charon Virus that Shuu had infected them with. Today, Shuu brought out an infected frog. Shuu showed Sakuya where to put the vaccine injection into the test subject, and Sakuya obeyed. Sakuya was delighted that he got to do the injection this time. Shuu then put the frog in quarantine, where he would be staying for a few days. They would then observe the results of the vaccine. After they were done injecting the test subject, it was time for Sakuya to go home.   
“Good job, Sakuya! I have a feeling we’re on the brink of finding a cure! Hohoho!” Shuu cackled excitedly.  
“Let’s hope this works.” Sakuya murmured. He was getting really tired. He looked at the clock. It was 2 AM. Sakuya yawned, “We’re meeting on Sunday at 10 AM, right?”  
“Correct.” Shuu replied.   
“Ok. I will see you then. Good night, sir.”   
Sakuya left the laboratory. He breathed in the fresh air, glad to be away from that awful stench. Snail hearts or not, Shuu’s laboratory always smelled like corpses.

The next day, Sakuya went to school feeling very sleepy. He found it rather hard to concentrate on his test, due to his exhaustion and the fact that he kept wondering about the test results. Sakuya was not too confident he did well on the exam, but there were more important things on his mind. After the exam, Sakuya went to the cafeteria for lunch. Seeing the peasants scarfing down their mongrel gruel nauseated him. Most days Sakuya tried to avoid the cafeteria at all costs, opting instead to eat at one of the five-star restaurants located nearby. But today was an exception because Sakuya was short on time. He got in line with the other students, tray in hand, a disgruntled look on his face. When he got to the front of the lunch line, he peered over the counter to see what slop he would be served today.   
Is that? No, it can’t be. 

It was Shepbird’s Pie. The only dish belonging to the low class that Sakuya could stomach. No, love. It was one of his favorite foods, though he would never admit it. It had been so long since Sakuya had Shepbird’s Pie last. A small smile spread across his face as he sat down at a table with his delectable meal. He sniffed his lunch. Even for cafeteria-quality Shepbird’s Pie, it smelled good. Suddenly an image appeared in his mind:

His claws were nestled in the snow, his legs shaking. Sakuya looked up. He could hardly see anything, just thick, white flakes swirling in every direction in the unbearably cold night and a light shining from behind him. The wind howled like a lonesome werewolf. Sakuya looked around. He could see no one. Sakuya began to panic. He had attempted to call his chauffeur to pick him up a dozen times, but he never answered his phone. To make matters worse, Sakuya’s cell phone battery ended up dying. He and his father could not possibly know where to pick him up anyway because Sakuya was not where he said he’d be. He told his father he was hosting a student council meeting after school (he left out the little detail that he was the only member of the student council). In reality, Sakuya went to the local theatre, where, in addition to putting on plays, they also held piano lessons and recitals. Sakuya spent the late afternoon to early evening there to take his weekly lesson and then stayed later to practice. By the time he left, there didn’t appear to be anyone still in the building. He had originally planned to just walk home, but as Sakuya stood there, freezing and blinded by the snowstorm, he wondered if he would ever make it home. He was hungry and tired, longing to be back in his mansion sitting in front of the fireplace, drinking tea and eating bonbons. He dreaded the thought of being stranded inside the theatre. As a feeling of doom started to set in, he cried out, “Hello? Helloooo? Can someone please help me?” But there was no answer. Normally, Sakuya would not stoop so low as to ask for help from anyone in this lowly town, but Sakuya had no other choice. Sakuya ran back toward the light coming from the theatre building so he could warm up inside. He pulled on the door handle, but the door was locked. No! Sakuya banged on the door, yelling like a madbird, hoping that someone was still in there and would let him in. But the building appeared to be empty. Whoever was in there last must’ve locked the door while I was outside! Sakuya gave up in his endeavor and turned around. He trudged through the snow towards deeper and deeper darkness. He continued to call out for help, but there was no reply. Suddenly, he heard the faint sound of crunching footsteps in the snow. He turned around. He could make out a faint outline of a bird. As the bird approached him, his image became clearer. 

Could it be? A rock dove?

“Sakuya! Is that you?” A familiar voice called out.  
“R-Ryouta?” Sakuya gasped.   
“Yeah, it’s me!” The voice replied.  
Sakuya walked towards the figure until he could make out the curve of his face and skinny frame.   
“My goodness! It’s you!” Sakuya cried.   
“I was heading home from the theatre when I heard your voice. What are you doing out here?”  
“Well, it just so happens that my cell phone’s battery is dead. I cannot call my chauffeur to drive me home!”  
“Oh no! That’s awful!” Ryouta said. Sakuya shivered even more violently than before as a powerful gust of wind whipped by. “Come on! I need to get you home!”  
“You can get me back to my house?” Sakuya asked.  
“Well, no. I meant my house! It’s not far from here!”

Ryouta grabbed his wing and led the half-frozen Sakuya through the dark void of wind and ice to his humble abode. When they got inside, Sakuya’s eyes wandered around Ryouta’s living room. It was quite small and sparsely furnished. And there wasn’t one measley cherub statue to be found! Sakuya had at least one in every room of his mansion. Sakuya had never seen such an abysmal living space! 

Ryouta gestured toward the sofa. It was full of tears and stains. The cushions had definitely seen better days.   
“Sit down and make yourself comfortable.” Ryouta took Sakuya’s coat and hung it up.   
“Ugh, how can I get comfortable in a place like this? You peasants call this a home?” Sakuya refused to sit down on the pathetic excuse for a sofa.   
“I’m sorry, but this is all that I can offer you.”  
“I don’t want to sit down. I want to call my chauffeur and go home.”  
“But the conditions are too dangerous for driving right now.”  
“Hmm. You may be right.” Sakuya said. He sighed, “I still need to call my father so he doesn’t worry about me.”  
“Ok. You can use my phone.” He hands over the telephone to Sakuya. During Sakuya’s conversation with his father, he made up the excuse that he fell asleep in the library, missed the meeting and when he woke up, his phone had died and he couldn’t get a hold of the chauffeur to pick him up. The library assistant took him to his house to wait out the storm. His father also believed the weather to be too treacherous for driving and told Sakuya that it was better if he stayed at the library assistant’s house for a while, even if he was a commoner. The call ended on a rather bitter note. Sakuya’s father was quite angry with him for failing to perform his duties as student council president. It would surely bring dishonor to the Le Bel family!

“Well, that didn’t go so well.” Sakuya said to himself.  
“What happened?” Ryouta asked.  
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Sakuya grumbled.  
“Ok. Well, you look pretty tired.”  
“I am quite tired.”  
“You can sleep on my bed if you want.”   
“I do need my beauty rest. But just a little nap will suffice for now. To your bedroom!”

Ryouta led Sakuya to his room.   
“By the way, Ryouta, how were you still in the building? When I got over there to get warm, the door was locked, and there didn’t seem to be anyone inside.” Sakuya asked.  
“Oh, well… that’s because I locked it. You see, I work as a part time janitor there. It’s my responsibility to lock up the building at the end of the night.” Ryouta explained.  
“That’s a pathetic job!” Sakuya jeered.  
“Well, it gets food on the table. That’s all that matters to me.” Ryouta replied meekly.   
“Hmph! Filthy jobs for filthy commoners!” Sakuya muttered. There was a pause. “But wait, how come you didn’t hear me when I yelled and banged on the door! You must’ve been nearby!”  
“Hmmm. I might’ve been at the other side of the building by that time. There’s a door in the back I have to lock as well.” Ryouta said  
“Oh.” 

Ryouta became slightly annoyed by Sakuya’s attitude, but tried his best to keep his composure.   
The two entered a dark room. Ryouta turned on the light to reveal a quaint bedroom.   
“Sorry it’s a little messy. I wasn’t expecting a guest!” Ryouta blushed as he scrambled to pick up his dirty briefs scattered around the floor.  
“I’m not surprised by this at all.” Sakuya remarked. He stopped in front of Ryouta’s bed.   
“You expect me to sleep in that?” Sakuya pointed to the small twin bed.   
“If you want to sleep, then this is your only option. Sorry.”   
“Hmph!” he slumped onto the bed. It creaked under his weight. “Well, a sleepy Le Bel is a grumpy Le Bel, but a well-rested Le Bel is a happy Le Bel. This will have to do. He curled up, his back turned toward Ryouta, blanket-less.   
“I’ll get you some blankets!” Ryouta said, and left his bedroom. He came back with 3 of them.  
“This’ll keep you nice and cozy!” Ryouta exclaimed. He draped the blankets over Sakuya. When he had finished, he turned to leave.   
“Ahem!” Sakuya barked.  
“Yes?” Ryouta asked.  
“My toes are exposed.” Sakuya mumbled.  
“Oh right, sorry!” Ryouta stammered as he adjusted the blankets to cover his feet. “Better?”  
“I suppose.” Sakuya said.   
“I’ll make some dinner for when you wake up. Boy, am I starved!” Ryouta said as he left the room, closing the door behind him. 

You poor pathetic mongrel thing you! Sakuya thought as he closed his eyes.

Sakuya woke up to a heavenly scent. He threw off the covers and went to Ryouta’s kitchen. Ryouta was stirring a pot and humming cheerfully as he added a pinch of salt to his brew. Ryouta looked over at him and smiled.   
“Oh, hello Sakuya! Had a good nap?” he asked.   
“Eh. I’ve had worse experiences.” Sakuya replied. But he did feel better now that he was rested.  
“Oh,” Ryouta’s smile faded, “Well, I’m sure some food will put you in a good mood! I’ve whipped up my specialty!”  
“Ah. Lovely.” Sakuya said. If it smells this good, it must be glorious! Maybe this guy does have high class taste…in food!  
“My mother won’t be joining us for dinner, unfortunately. She’s not feeling too well.” Ryouta said.  
“I’m sorry to hear that. I hope she feels better soon.” Sakuya said.  
“Yeah. Me too,” Ryouta replied solemnly. There was a brief moment of silence. “Well, dinner’s ready now!”  
“Excellent!” Sakuya exclaimed.

Sakuya sat down at the kitchen table. Ryouta brought over a bowl and sat down. He then scooped up slimy, sloppy chunks of meat, vegetables and mashed potatoes from the bowl and plopped it on Sakuya’s plate, while Sakuya watched in pure horror.   
“Good heavens! W-what is this?” he cried. “It looks like something that came out of the garbage disposal!”  
Ryouta laughed. “It’s Shepbird’s Pie! It doesn’t look very appealing, but trust me, you’ll love it! It’s my best dish!” Ryouta proclaimed.

Why would anyone eat something with the word Shepbird in it? Surely nothing a shepbird eats can be good, or even edible by Le Bel standards! Sakuya dissected his meal, trying to identify the ingredients. Disgusted, he pushed his plate away. “Well, I wasn’t that hungry anyway!” He scoffed, turning up his nose. Ryouta heard a loud rumble coming from Sakuya’s direction. He raised his eyebrow.  
“You sure about that?” Ryouta questioned, and laughed.  
Embarrassed, Sakuya blushed. “Argh!” His stomach continued to growl as if trying to tease him.   
“Alright! I may be a bit peckish. I will try this ‘dish’ of yours, but don’t think I am going to like it!” 

Sakuya scooped a miniscule amount of food onto his fork and gave it a reluctant nibble. Suddenly he felt as if he his soul had been lifted and brought to Heaven. He had a blank, distant look on his face, unaware of where he was. What is this sorcery?   
“Aha! You do like it!” Ryouta exclaimed, clapping his hands with glee “See, that’s the power of my Shepbird’s Pie! Everyone who tries it gets the Look!”  
Sakuya came back to his senses, “What look?” he asked, annoyed.  
“It’s like they’re in a trance, a transcendental state that can only be caused by the magic that is Chef Ryouta’s cooking!”  
“That’s ridiculous! I did not have ‘the Look’! You’re just deluding yourself!”  
“Nah-uh! I know when I’ve seen the Look!”  
“Preposterous! How could commoner food bring me into a trance? A Filet Mignon, perhaps, but Shepbird’s Pie? Nonsense! That thing you call a meal was decent, at best.”  
Ryouta smiled, proud of his accomplishment. “You really liked it, didn’t you?” he teased.  
“No, it was just ok! Just be thankful that a Le Bel even agreed to try your food! Now that’s something to be proud of!”  
“Ok, right. Mmhm.” Unconvinced, Ryouta took a bite of his own dinner.

Sakuya continued to eat the Shepbird’s Pie, secretly relishing its exquisite flavor. It was like nothing his personal chefs made at home. It was ten times better! How does he do it? I must know! 

After dinner, Sakuya still felt like he was floating on air, having yet to fall down from his food-induced high. Ryouta cleaned up the table and joined him in the living room. Ryouta sat down on the sofa, enjoying his post-meal coma. Sakuya followed suit. After a long period of silence, Ryouta looked out the window. The blizzard was growing even more fierce than before.  
“Uh oh. This doesn’t look good. I don’t know if you’ll be able to get back home tonight.” Ryouta said.  
“Don’t say that! Then I will have to stay…here!” Sakuya replied.  
Ryouta gasped, “We could have a SLEEPOVER!” He became giddy at the thought.   
“What? No! That is silly! A Le Bel never has sleepovers! That is something peasants do!”  
“Um, that’s not something I’d expect from a Le Bel. Sleepovers are for every social rank! I mean…they’re fun!”  
“It is a lowly form of fun. Do you know what Le Bels do for fun? Drink tea, play croquet and waltz. That is much more proper and sophisticated.” Sakuya boasted.  
“Sounds boring to me!” Ryouta remarked.  
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand!”

And so Sakuya and Ryouta continued to talk about the subject of fun. Ryouta was a strange bird. Everything Sakuya found either repulsive, silly or unsophisticated, Ryouta seemed to approve of. Is it possible for someone to be so opposite to me? And what’s weirder, why am I still talking to him? They had been talking for at least 2 hours, the longest conversation Sakuya had ever held with someone of a lower class. Sakuya knew it was wrong to chat with commoners, but he couldn’t get himself to stop. Ryouta was captivating. He wasn’t at all like the aristocrats Sakuya often conversed with at his lavish parties, with their bored, drained faces and emotionless tones as they went on and on about politics or what designer shoes they were wearing that day. Ryouta spoke with so much passion, enthusiasm and energy. This only intensified when he talked about his human friend, Hiyoko Tousaka, as his ruby red eyes twinkled with delight. His liveliness took Sakuya aback. He was not used to someone who felt so authentic. As he listened to Ryouta, his eyes began to wander around his face, taking in every inch of it like a priceless renaissance painting. He suddenly had the urge to touch his cheek, it looked so soft, and tangle his finger around his navy blue locks, er…I mean feathers, as he leaned in for a gentle kiss. 

What am I doing? Snap out of it Sakuya!

Sakuya averted his eyes from Ryouta’s face, ashamed. But he continued to listen to Ryouta speak.

As it got later into the night, Ryouta began to show signs of sleepiness. He yawned.   
“I know you don’t want to sleep here, but judging from the storm, and the fact that it’s late, I’d say you should probably stay her for the night.” Ryouta said.  
“I suppose you’re right. But there’s not enough beds!” Sakuya said.   
“It’s ok, I can sleep on the couch. You go and sleep on my bed.”   
Sakuya smiled. “Thank you.”  
Ryouta grinned. It was refreshing to hear a thank you from self-important Sakuya once in a while.   
“You’re welcome!” Ryouta chirped. 

And so Sakuya stayed over a mongrel’s house, ate what essentially looked like garbage for dinner, and maybe had even….fallen for a mongrel? All in one day. It felt like a dream. If it was a dream, he thought, is it a nightmare?

Sakuya snapped back to reality. He looked at the Shepbird’s pie. He lost his appetite as his sorrow grew, but managed to get a few bites in before heading to the library to study. Why did things have to end up this way? If only I could hear your voice again, Ryouta.


End file.
